Or where, from rock-ribbed safety, Monterey
Frowns death, and dares him to the unequal fray;
Till crashing walls and slippery streets bespeak
How frail the fortress where the heart is weak;
How vainly numbers menace, rocks defy,
Men sternly knit and firm to do or die;
Or where, on thousands thousands crowding, rush
(Rome knew not such a day) his ranks to crush,
The long day paused on Buena Vista’s height,
Above the cloud with flashing volleys bright;